DC COMICS

Though she didn't react well when Sugimoto stole a kiss (a first for her!), Kazuha begins to wonder if maybe she really does have feelings for him. But her friend Senko really seems to be in love with Sugimoto. Should Kazuha step aside for her friend or follow her feelings and try to win over Sugimoto herself?

Is Kazuha seriously thinking about becoming a hairdresser, or is she only considering it because it's Sugimoto's career and represents a way to get closer to him? Meanwhile, there's trouble at home when her brother, Chizura, starts hanging out with the wrong crowd. Sugimoto steps in to try to help the troubled Chizura, but his advice might just lead to a serious rift between Kazuha and Sugimoto.

Kazuha takes a big step and decides to embark on a career as a hair stylist. Sugimoto warns her that it may not be as easy as she thinks, but he gives her his support and gets her a job at a salon. Kazuha discovers that a fellow hairdresser seems to have it in for her, even though she's done nothing to offend her. What's behind this stylist's feelings, and can Kazuha do anything to change her mind?

Tristram tells Aoi that it may be possible to have his lifespan increased, but that it involves Dis, who Aoi has been targeting for revenge. Can Tris be trusted? It seems that his intentions for the super-powered kids might not be so noble after all. There's a rumor that he's funneling them to the military to be used as weapons in a secret war.

After a king and his eldest son die, the kingdom of Laudere is left without a ruler. Asta, the last surviving member of the royal family, stands in line for the throne. But before he can claim it, he must fulfill a quest: find the legendary "Key to the Kingdom." Both ancient beasts and a variety of contenders - including a princess, a dimwitted military captain, and a villainous aristocrat - imperil his journey. Someone will find the Key, but will it be Asta?

Asta and his ally Badd arrive in a town at the same time as Gaius, the heart-eating Dragon Man. Is he an ally or the one foretold in the prophecy? Then a feverish Asta has a dream in which the origin of the struggle for power at the heart of the "Key" is revealed.

The next phase of the quest begins with the search for "The Invisible Tower," an elusive location that contains an important clue. A new competitor enters the ring: Fireheart, a man who is impervious to the flames of the Dragon Men. He welcomes Prince Asta and his protector Badd to his castle, where he shares with Asta an important family secret he learned from Asta's father just before he died.

With his horned head and pointed ears, young Kiichi resembles a demon. When his mother dies, he is ostracized from his village. Alone and with no clue to his true origin, he meets Mototaro, a traveling "Library Man" who goes from town to town, lending out books. When Kiichi spies some magical creatures literally jumping out of the pages of one of these books, he thinks he may be on the way to finding out where he came from.

Kiichi and Mototaro encounter a woman whose son has died. She wants to recreate him and then draw him out of a magic book. But complications set in when this copy of her son has more of a bond with the mother he left behind in the book. Later, Mototaro encounters a researcher at one of the 12 Libraries who's convinced that Kiichi's very existence might be connected to some great cosmic plan.

With various groups linking him to all sorts of prophecies, it looks like it's open season on Kiichi! Saku's ready to turn him over to the Researchers. Saame believes his clan will regain their legendary wings with the help of an Oni. Meanwhile, all of Kiichi's traveling companions seem to be gaining extra powers. Speaking of "extra," how will Kiichi handle three horns instead of one?

Find out why Mototaro became a librarian and what secret purpose has been motivating him to continue after all these years. Then follow Kiichi as he heads off to the Water Depository on his own. He's determined not to put his friends at risk, but Hana's equally set upon not being left behind. When they get there, the identity of the depository's sole occupant turns out to be quite a surprise.

Find out Kiichi's ultimate fate in this final volume! The Researchers are out to cast him into a giant pit, where his horn will, according to prophecy, grow into a giant tree and save the world. Time is critical, as a series of earthquakes and volcanoes begin to break out. Must Kiichi die in order to save everyone else?